Benefits of Reminiscing with Seniors Plus Some Story Starters

We all love to talk about “the good old days” and so do our senior loved ones. Of course, we can also argue about whose good old days were better.

Reminiscing is a great way for all seniors, especially those affected by Alzheimer’s disease, to recall memories from their distant past.

You can reminisce in an informal way through storytelling, questions and answers or triggering the story by starting it yourself and letting your senior loved one finish it in whatever way he or she remembers it.

You can also reminisce in a more formal way through capturing via video or writing or by having a professional capture the moments. Your senior’s memories should come naturally and flow from them without forcing.

Whether you reminisce in a very casual way or in a more formal way to retain the memories for the future, the effects can be very beneficial for your senior. Often times, elders feel isolated from their identity as they age. Being able to relive and relate their life stories can give them a sense of purpose and self-worth. It can help them relieve boredom and also gain a feeling of companionship with the person that is interested enough in them to listen to their life stories.

Seniors with Alzheimer’s disease who have impaired short term memory and, as such, may not be able to remember what they ate for lunch usually can remember and fully recall their lifetime memories. Sharing between family caregivers and seniors may allow a renewed understanding as well as a new bond to form, hopefully replacing some of the frustration caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s can bring.

Here are some fun facts that could get you and your senior reminiscing today. Use these at your own risk – they just might turn into some long stories!

Cost of Living In 1950 Compared to Now

Cost of things:

Gallon of milk cost 82 cents

Load of bread cost 14 cents

A dozen eggs cost 65 cents

Postage stamp cost 3 cents

Gallon of gas cost 20 cents

New car averaged $1,750

Favorite TV shows:

Hopalong Cassidy

The Toast of the Town

Your Show of Shows

The Lone Ranger

You Bet Your Life

Best Movie of the Year:

All About Eve

President and Vice President:

Harry S. Truman

Alben Barkley

We have seen seniors who have immensely enjoyed telling a story and love having an audience doing it. We hope these fun facts will get you started having a great reminiscing session soon. You may not believe the stories you will hear and may even get a good chuckle! Enjoy!

4 Responses to Benefits of Reminiscing with Seniors Plus Some Story Starters

A wonderful thing we boomers can do for our parents is scan and assemble ALL those old photos in boxes that they have saved. While their memories are still in tact, find out who IS in this or that photo?

Make a slide show of them. Put them all in a digital frame for them to view all the time.

I did many of these sort of things for my parents throughout their lives and am so grateful I did. Now, I enjoy those photos and videos!

Kathy, thank you for writing this article. Such fantastic advice. When writing my clients BioNovels, they share the best stories when we’re having a casual chat. Plus, when they get revved up, it’s a free ticket for us aboard a time travel machine!